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“Servicification” is most simply defined as an increased use of services in manufacturing processes. The impact of servicification on the competitiveness of the industrial sector has not been adequately addressed, especially in policy discussions, because of limited data availability. However, the OECD-WTO TiVA database now fills this gap for a selected number of economies. This brief provides information on the services content of industrial exports of these countries and offers some insights on the role of services in building trade competitiveness.

While the proposed goals and targets for the emerging Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been subject to political negotiations through several stages, the international statistical community was in March 2015 entrusted with developing a set of indicators for monitoring global progress towards 2030, and guided by a continued political oversight after the post-2015 inter-governmental negotiations come to an end this September.

The factsheet provides the core information about APTA at a glance. It presents brief explanation about the features, objectives, tariff concession exchange, institutional arrangements as well as the accession procedure of APTA in order to facilitate better understanding of APTA for the countries in this region.

The 2015 edition of the Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific highlights a key message that while policy focus on economic growth is necessary, it is not sufficient for achieving development. Policymakers in the region would need to internalize the aspects of inclusive growth and sustainable development into their domestic policy frameworks.

This issue of Stats Brief will aim to introduce some of the most common methods to compute average growth rates for time series data, and illustrate the impact of applying different methods for calculating average annual growth rates for GDP per capita and exports of merchandise. Statistical literature introduces several different methods, but there are no solid recommendations on which should be used under which circumstances. However, different methods may result in substantial differences in computed average growth rates.

The Asia-Pacific Statistics Newsletter, First Quarter 2015, provides information on the outcome of the "Fourth session of the Committee on Statistics, 25-27 March 2015"; features an Interview with Ms. Aishath Shahuda, Chief Statistician, National Bureau of Statistics, Maldives and Chair of the ESCAP Committee on Statistics (CST); provides update on the areas of work; and announces important events and meetings.

Women have made important contributions to the advancement in research and development. Despite an increase in the overall number of researchers over time in Asia and the Pacific, men have consistently outnumbered women. In addition, fewer women pursue science-related education than men. As the role of technology, science and innovation is emphasized in achieving the sustainable development goals beyond 2015, it is important to unlock the potential of women in these areas in order for them to make even greater contribution to the betterment of the humankind.

To integrate further least developed countries (LDCs) into the global and regional economies, a number of countries have introduced Duty-Free Quota-Free (DFQF) schemes for LDCs, allowing their imports to enter without paying tariffs. This note reviews those schemes and finds that Asia-Pacific LDCs are increasing their share of global exports, but while improved market access through DFQF schemes is useful, the developmental benefits will be limited unless the schemes are made relevant and usable.

The recent collapse in international commodity prices (June 2014 to February 2015) has both positive and negative implications for Asia-Pacific economies, depending upon net commodity-trade positions. Here the focus is on the impacts to net commodity-importing economies. In the short-run, these economies are likely to benefit from a downturn in commodity-prices. Major consequences include: higher disposable incomes, greater domestic demand, and faster economic growth.

Afghanistan needs to capitalize on the potential for greater trade with its Central Asian neighbours, especially given the current headwinds facing the Afghan economy. Particular promise exists for: energy trade; transit trade linking Central Asia with South Asia; and trade among border communities. However, at present trade relations are extremely limited and significant barriers to further integration remain including tariff and non-tariff barriers, as well as transport and connectivity issues.